Richard Hammond 'Stable' after jet car crashUPDATED

Neil · Post by **Neil** » Thu Sep 21, 2006 4:27 am

TOP Gear presenter Richard Hammond was tonight in a critical condition after an accident involving a jet powered car at Elvington Airfield near York.

The 36-year-old, who often drives high-performance cars as part of presenting the show, was rushed to hospital in Leeds following the incident at 5.34pm.

He was treated at the scene by the crew of the Yorkshire Air Ambulance who then airlifted him to Leeds General Infirmary, which is a specialist neurological centre.

A hospital spokesman said last night that Hammond, who was brought up in North Yorkshire, was in a ''critical'' condition.

continued...
A North Yorkshire Police spokesman said that the presenter was filming an episode of Top Gear at the airfield at the time.

He added: ''Relatives have been informed and are en route to the hospital itself.'' ''The male occupant has received serious injuries and has been airlifted to hospital at Leeds.'' He also presents Brainiac: Science Abuse on Sky, the BBC 1 show Should I Worry About...? and Time Commanders on BBC 2.

In July 2005, Hammond won the accolade of being voted number one in heat magazine poll of the top "weird celebrity crushes." Also in 2005, he was voted one of the top British TV talents.

He lives near Cheltenham with his wife Amanda and two young children.

Source: BBC World News and The Northern Echo.

Hope he get well soon and recover from his injury.He was probebly driving this and reached 280mph at the time he crashed.

http://www.jalopnik.com/cars/news/updat ... 202054.php

zoheb · Post by **zoheb** » Thu Sep 21, 2006 5:28 am

damn! he crashed at 280 mph? :jawdrop: this is insane! did they say anything abt him surviving the accident? I pray and hope that he recovers soon.

Neil · Post by **Neil** » Thu Sep 21, 2006 6:29 am

No words yet zoheb. he still in critical condition.

Post by **GTI VR6** » Thu Sep 21, 2006 9:34 am

oh my god! he's my favourite presenter!

rawfin · Post by **rawfin** » Thu Sep 21, 2006 9:46 am

holy s***! 280mph>? i hope he recovers soon...

NFS_MW · Post by **NFS_MW** » Thu Sep 21, 2006 11:38 am

damn crashing 280mph is crazy!!! hope he'll recover soon

Post by **GTI VR6** » Thu Sep 21, 2006 11:41 am

it took him a little over 6 seconds to reach 0 to 280 mph.

Post by **rezwan** » Thu Sep 21, 2006 12:14 pm

very sad news.. hope he recovers soon!

Post by **arnab** » Thu Sep 21, 2006 12:28 pm

oh i loved his humour, hope he recovers fast....

DROHI · Post by **DROHI** » Thu Sep 21, 2006 6:00 pm

he was my favorite top gear present indeed a very sad news hope he recovers soon

Neil · Post by **Neil** » Thu Sep 21, 2006 10:03 pm

**UPDATE**

Richard Hammond is 'stable' but remains seriously ill in hospital after a crash in a jet-powered car.

The accident happened during filming for the new series of Top Gear at the former RAF airfield in Elvington, near York.

Richard was taken by air ambulance to Leeds General Infirmary's neurological unit. A hospital spokesman said this morning: "He has seen some improvement overnight, but remains in a serious but stable condition."

Richard's wife Mindy and their daughters Willow and Isabella are at his bedside. We'll update you on his condition as we find out more, but for now our thoughts are with his family.

Obviously the crash will be fully investigated by the Health and Safety Executive and the BBC.

The BBC said in a statement: "We are pleased to hear that Richard has improved slightly overnight, but we continue to be concerned about his condition and we are keeping in touch with his family.

"The circumstances of this accident will be fully investigated by the BBC, and this process began last night.

"We will, of course, be fully co-operating with any investigation by the police and the Health and Safety Executive. Until the BBC's investigation is complete, it would be inappropriate to comment on the details of what happened."

Colleagues Visit

Jeremy and James have arrived at Leeds General Infirmary to visit Richard and his family.

Jeremy told TopGear.com: "Richard remains in intensive care. Obviously at this time both he and his family are the most important concerns we have. It must be devastating for his wife Mindy and his two utterly adorable children.

"I would just like to say how heartened Richard will be when I tell him just how many motorists and truck drivers on my way here wound down their windows to say they were rooting for him. Both James and I are looking forward to getting our Hamster back."

In addition, we've already received a number of emails at TopGear.com wishing Richard well. If you'd like to add your thoughts, please email us.

We've posted some of your messages on the website and do our best to make sure Richard receives them all.

E-mail Richard with your wishes: tgweb@bbc.co.uk

Source www.topgear.com

sakin_uttara · Post by **sakin_uttara** » Thu Sep 21, 2006 10:11 pm

He is one of my fav presenter......... hope he will get back soon........

zoheb · Post by **zoheb** » Fri Sep 22, 2006 2:54 am

good to know that he is in a stable condition now. hope his condition gets better soon.

goneheLL · Post by **goneheLL** » Fri Sep 22, 2006 5:03 am

he is my favorite tv presenter! very humourous! i hope he gets well soon!

Neil · Post by **Neil** » Sat Sep 23, 2006 11:40 pm

**UPDATE**

Richard 'taken first steps

Richard continues to make good progress as he recovers from his jet car accident on Wednesday.

He remains in a stable condition and his family have said he has been moved to a general medical ward.

Doctors at Leeds General Infirmary have said they are 'reasonably optimistic' that he will make a good recovery - and Jeremy said today that Richard has already managed his first few steps.

Richard's wife Mindy and their daughters Willow and Isabella have been 'overwhelmed' by support from fans and well wishers. They have received flowers, cards and emails from all over the world.

We alone have received well over 12,000 emails since the accident from Top Gear readers wishing Richard well - and the inbox is still growing.

A website set up by fans has also managed to raise more than £50,000 for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance, which airlifted Richard to hospital on Wednesday.

The accident happened during filming for the new series of Top Gear at the former RAF airfield in Elvington, near York.

Richard was taken by air ambulance to Leeds General Infirmary's neurological unit.

Jeremy and James have both visited Richard and Mindy in Leeds - and you can read Jeremy's statement here. Like us, their thoughts are with Mindy and the family.

Obviously we expect the crash will be fully investigated by the Health and Safety Executive and the BBC.

The BBC said in a statement: "We are pleased to hear that Richard continues to improve and are staying in close touch with his family.

"The circumstances of this accident will be fully investigated by the BBC, and this process began on Wednesday night.

"We will, of course, be fully co-operating with any investigation by the police and the Health and Safety Executive. Until the BBC's investigation is complete, it would be inappropriate to comment on the details of what happened."

Clarkson's Sun Column

"In the wee small hours of Thursday night, just 30 hours after what is almost certainly the world's fastest ever car crash, Richard Hammond suddenly sat up in bed opened his eyes and asked what had happened," wrote Clarkson in his Sun column.

"'You've been in a car accident', I said. 'Was I driving badly?' he asked, before getting out of bed and walking shakily to the lavatory."

A Leeds General Infirmary hospital spokeswoman told Reuters on Saturday that Hammond continues to "make good progress".

Hammond's wife Mindy also provided an upbeat assessment of her husband's medical condition.

"He's spoken and smiled. It's early days and what has happened hasn't really sunk in for him," she told The Daily Miror newspaper.

Information